Search

With this text, the colony of Rhode Island outlawed the importation of enslaved Africans and established the immediate emancipation of enslaved people in the colony in 1774. However, the law stipulated some important exceptions that made this change particularly ineffective.

In this document, the U.S. government outlined its new policy towards escaped formerly enslaved persons during the Civil War.

Congress asserts the federal government’s right to seize all property of individuals participating in or aiding the insurrection against the U.S. government.

This advertisement, published in the Southwestern Christian Advocate in 1883, was included in the "Lost Friends" section of the newspaper. Advertisements like this were published after emancipation by African Americans seeking their relatives. Families of enslaved people were often separated during enslavement. In this advertisement, Clarissa Reed seeks her relatives.